2 killed, 2 injured in shooting at East Harry bar

Crime scene investigators processes the scene at The Place, 4859 E. Harry. Two people have been confirmed dead and two others wounded after a shooting overnight shooting at the bar.
Travis Heying
The Wichita Eagle

Crime scene investigators processes the scene at The Place, 4859 E. Harry. Two people have been confirmed dead and two others wounded after a shooting overnight shooting at the bar.
Travis Heying
The Wichita Eagle

WICHITA

Two men were killed and two others injured early Saturday in a shooting that occurred in the parking lot of The Place bar and grill at 4859 E. Harry, Wichita police said. No suspects were in custody Saturday, police said.

Other than the fatal officer-involved shooting of 23-year-old John Paul Quintero on Jan. 3, the killings are the first homicides of 2015 in Wichita, police Sgt. Mark Jackson said. The names of the victims have not been released.

A call reporting a disturbance in the parking lot of The Place came in at about 1:30 a.m., Jackson said. Three men were found shot there and were taken to local hospitals by ambulance.

Two were in critical condition when they arrived at Wesley Medical Center, a Sedgwick County emergency dispatcher said. A 28-year-old man later died at 2:26 a.m., and a 32-year-old man died at 5:35 a.m., Jackson said.

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A 25-year-old man also was shot and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. His injuries were less serious, and he was treated and released, Jackson said.

Another victim, a 36-year-old man, was taken to Via Christi Hospital St. Joseph by private vehicle in critical condition and later was transferred to another hospital by ambulance, according to Jackson and the emergency dispatcher.

That man remained hospitalized and was in serious condition Saturday, Jackson said.

He did not have details about where on their bodies the men were shot on Saturday.

Jackson said police have talked to a number of witnesses but had no other information to release Saturday. Anyone who has information about the shooting is asked to call 911.

“It’s unknown exactly what the disturbance was over,” Jackson said.

Jackson said the homicide investigators had been working throughout the morning to develop leads on a possible suspect or suspects Saturday “but nothing that we can identify at this point.”

“I believe they have some leads and knowledge about this based on what came out of the crime scene so far,” Jackson said Saturday. He expected more details to be released by Wichita police Monday morning.

Investigators were at the scene just east of the intersection of Oliver and Harry, and police tape surrounded several businesses, including the nearby Manna Wok restaurant, on Saturday morning. Police patrol cars helped block the entrances to the parking lot. Several small, bright yellow cones marked evidence lying on the pavement between the bar and the restaurant.

By midafternoon, the crime scene tape and the police were gone.

Jackson said Saturday the killings remain part of an active investigation.